Gunmen kidnap and kill two French journalists in Mali

Bullet-ridden bodies of Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont found near Kidal

Slain French journalists Ghislaine Dupont, left, and Claude Verlon

By Rory Mulholland in Paris

11:57PM GMT 02 Nov 2013

Gunmen abducted and killed two French journalists in northern Mali, where thousands of French troops intervened this year to drive back Islamists who had seized control of the vast desert region.

The deaths of Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont came just four days after France rejoiced at the release of four of its citizens held hostage for three years by al-Qaeda's north African offshoot.

President Francois Hollande's office said he "expresses his indignation over this despicable act" and that the Socialist leader would hold an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday to discuss the killings.

The two Radio France Internationale (RFI) journalists were kidnapped on Saturday in town of Kidal, near the Algerian border, the French foreign ministry said.

Their bullet-ridden bodies were found a short time later on the outskirts of the town, where an ethnic Tuareg uprising last year led to a coup in the capital Bamako and the occupation of the northern half of the former French colony by militants linked to al-Qaeda.

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Dupont, 51, and radio technician Verdon, 58, were seized after they interviewed Kidal resident Ambeiry Ag Rhissa, a local official with the MNLA Tuareg separatist group.

"When they left, I heard a strange noise outside. I immediately went out to see and when I opened my door, a turbaned man pointed a gun at me and told me go back inside," Rhissa said.

"I could not see how many men were there," he said.

Paul-Marie Sidibe, prefect of the town of Tinzawaten, who is based in Kidal, said: "A few minutes after a pursuit began for the abductors of the two French, we were informed that their bodies were found riddled with bullets outside the town." Local reports said the French forces based in the town -- which also hosts UN peacekeepers and Malian troops -- sent helicopters in pursuit of the kidnap gang.

The French defence ministry said it had advised the journalists against travel to Kidal.

Early reports suggested the pair may have been kidnapped by a rival Tuareg faction.

RFI confirmed in a news bulletin that Dupont and Verlon were kidnapped in front of Rhissa's house after the interview.

"They were put into a beige four-wheel drive vehicle and the kidnappers fired shots in the air and told Rhissa to go home," it said. "The driver heard the two reporters protest and resist. It was the last time they were seen." The MNLA is a Tuareg separatist movement whose rebels invaded northern Mali last year. They were later chased out by al-Qaeda-linked fighters but have returned to prominence in Kidal in recent months.

France launched air strikes and sent hundreds of soldiers into Mali at the start of the year to drive back the al-Qaeda-linked rebels it said could turn the country into a base for international attacks.

The insurgents have threatened to hit French targets across the region in revenge.

Since 2003, northern Mali has acted as a rear base for al-Qaeda's North African branch.

They have bankrolled their operations by kidnapping Westerners, especially French nationals.

Earlier this week, four Frenchmen were released three years after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen in neighbouring Niger. They had been held in northern Mali.

Sources close to the release operation claimed that France, which still has about 3,000 troops in Mali, paid up to 25 million euros (£21.5 million) for their freedom.

The United Nations Security Council "strongly condemned" the incident.

In a statement late Saturday, the Security Council members "expressed their condolences to the family of the victims" as well as to the French government.

"In accordance with international humanitarian law, journalists, media professionals and associated personnel engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict are generally considered as civilians and shall be respected and protected as such," the statement read.

The Security Council demanded "that all parties to an armed conflict comply fully with the obligations applicable to them under international humanitarian law, including as related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict."